Abstract #42

# 42
Balancing production and rumen health: Implementing precision technologies to manage subacute rumen acidosis.
B. M. Winslow*1, D. R. Olver1, 1Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA.

A wide variety of metabolic diseases cause economic loss in the dairy industry. Even well-managed, high-yielding herds are subject to metabolic diseases because of high dry matter intake and high grain content in lactation diets. Though concentrate feeding is known to increase milk production, high grain intake levels may cause a decrease in rumen pH, an imbalance of rumination, and a decrease in milk fat (Dohme, 2008; Beauchemin, 2018; Harvatine, 2016). Abundantly feeding concentrates can result in rapid increases of volatile fatty acid (VFA) production. This in turn can lead to subacute rumen acidosis (SARA). SARA is characterized by bouts when ruminal pH drops between 5.2 and 5.6 for at least 3 h, over a 24 h period (Gozho, 2005). To prevent the onset of SARA and other associated conditions, efforts have been made to improve rumen environment using precision feeding technologies. The term “precision feeding” is used to describe efforts in ration formulation to manage nutritional requirements of dairy cows in specific life stages. Many researchers are developing nutritional management strategies that can be used to decrease the incidence of SARA. For example, the inclusion of physically effective fiber has been shown to maintain rumen pH by limiting the fermentation rates of non-fiber carbohydrates (Allen, 1997). Likewise, adding rumen modifiers and buffers in lactating diets can help maintain rumen pH, increase feed efficiency, and limit SARA (Krause, 2008). A recent advancement proven to be effective in limiting metabolic disorders such as SARA is the dynamic concentrate parlor feeder (DCPF). This conglomerate feeding technology is capable of calculating the nutrient needs of individual cows and supplementing ingredients with a focus on enrichment of TMR diets (Bach, 2014). Further development of precision feeding technologies can allow for reduced occurrences of metabolic disease, increased feed efficiency, and increased milk production.

Key Words: precision dairy technology, rumen health, subacute rumen acidosis